Sound of Silence
as far back as we can imagine, a few remarkable humans have stepped out of society to get quiet. They called it prayer, vision quest, meditation, renunciation. They've done it through fishing, painting, cooking, tracking, and simply sitting in the breeze.
They are still doing it today.
There's nothing remarkable about the person who chooses silence over constant noise. They don't have any special skills or divine powers.
But there is definitely something about that person.
There is an inner spaciousness, a calm settledness that we don't see in those who never sit down and shut-up. There is a centeredness in the midst of storms that would blow over any "normal" person. There is an ease.
If your life is feeling full, busy, or contracted lately... maybe it's time you joined them.
It isn't that hard if you let go of figuring it out or of trying to make something happen; if you give your mind the job of watching itself the way a dog chases its own tail. Your mind can't actually get quiet, but YOU can.
One of the biggest myths about this getting quiet thing is: You have to stop your thoughts. So incredibly not true! That would be like trying to stop an ocean wave from hitting the shore by standing there yelling at it to turn around. No. Don't worry about stopping your thoughts.
Instead simply immerse yourself in whatever it is you are actually doing right now. Open your ears, what do you hear? Open your eyes or keep them closed, what do you see? Open to the sensations your hands or your seat - what do you feel? Open to your breath - what is that like? Just do two for 10 seconds and see what happens. Add a third and you are a Jedi master.
The key is: Do it. Do it for 5 minutes every day. Do it for 20-30 every day. Do it for more time if you have it. Watch what happens.
If cave people could figure this out, certainly we can too.
Your path to quiet may be meditation. It could be painting. It could be dancing. Your path to quiet could be sitting under a tree, or by a river, or the ocean. It might be cooking or cleaning or folding the laundry. Your path to quiet is your own.
It is unique and individual - yet universal. People all over the world walk in the same way that you do.